Rizal Harahap and Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Pekanbaru, Yogyakarta | Mon, 11/30/2009 2:18 PM
Heavy rainfall, storms and strong waves have forced fishermen in Riau and Yogyakarta to stay on shore over the past week.
The Bengkalis administration of Riau has urged thousands of fishermen to not go to sea pending stormy sea conditions in the Malacca Strait.
Following last week's sinking of the Dumai Express 10, some ferries have cancelled their scheduled routes in the face of continuing bad weather.
The administration spokesman Johansyah Syafri said his office had told all village heads to monitor the fishermen's activities.
"We expect the fishermen won't force themselves to go to sea amidst bad weather," Johansyah said.
Didik Sutrisno, a resident of Bantan Air village, said fishermen who had no skills other than sailing would spend their time on land repairing damaged boats and nets.
"They will borrow money from their employees to make ends meet while waiting for weather to return to normal," Didik said.
The bad weather has also forced port authorities to temporarily halt inter-island cargo and ferry services until further notice. The suspension has caused a backlog of passengers at Selat Panjang Port departing for Batam, Tanjung Balai Karimun and Dumai.
Port administrator Usman said he decided to temporarily close the port following advice from the Meteorology Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) to avoid accidents like the recent fatal accidents involving the Dumai Express 10 ferry off Riau and the barge carrying 3 tons of sand off Rupat Island.
"The current weather is unpredictable and the huge waves pose great risks to sea lane traffic," said Usman.
The Pekanbaru BMKG weather station predicted that waters off Riau and Riau Islands provinces would remain treacherous for sea voyages over the next few weeks. The BMKG has issued a warning for sea transportation operators because winds in the area are currently very strong and have the potential to trigger storms.
"The Malacca Strait and the South China Sea are subject to seasonal winds in November and December every year, marked by the arrival of the rainy season which would likely last until February," said station head Philip Mustamu.
Meanwhile, extreme weather marked by strong winds and thunder storms have also forced thousands of fishermen in the south coast of Yogyakarta to remain on shore over the past two weeks. Some of them have sought other means employment to survive and pass their time.
"The winds frequently change direction suddenly," said fisherman Paryanto at the Samas beach, Srigading, Bantul.
Actually, Paryanto said the earlier rainy season was the harvest time for fishermen.
Another fisherman, Singkrih from Wediombo, Gunungkidul, Yogyakarta said this time of year was harvest time for lobsters in his area.
"With the strong waves and high winds, we could not install our traps," Singkrih said.
He said fishermen would find it difficult to catch the lobsters, which fetch between Rp 100,000 (US$10) and Rp 200,000 per kilogram.
The Yogyakarta BMKG has also warned fishermen to not go sailing due to the dangerous conditions.
"We have warned fishermen to be cautious. It's better not sailing," agency spokesman Hardoyo said.
